US Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is gaining ground on Gov. Kathy Hochul in what is shaping up to be a bruising general election for the Empire State’s next governor — with the Republican firebrand gaining support among independents, a new poll shows.
Stefanik notched a notable 5-point increase in a head-to-head matchup against Hochul in Sienna University’s latest survey, shrinking the incumbent’s lead in the closely watched race.
The poll, conducted November 10-12 and released on Tuesday, has Hochul leading Stefanik 52% to 32% in the general election.
Hochul, meanwhile, didn’t gain any extra support in the latest survey. The Democrat led her Republican challenger 52% to 27% in September.
“In the race against Stefanik, Hochul continues to run very strongly with Democrats, 78-9%, however, Stefanik has now widened her lead among Republicans, 79-11%, up from 68-15% in September, and significantly narrowed the gap among independents, with whom Hochul now leads 40-36%, down from 43-25% in September,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said.
“Hochul has a 42-point lead in New York City but leads by only nine points in the downstate suburbs and a very narrow three points upstate.”
The poll also shows Hochul’s favorability has slipped over the last few months, dropping two points to 43%.
“Currently, 42% of voters are prepared to re-elect Hochul, while 48% would prefer ‘someone else,’ improved from 37-51% in September,” Greenberg said.
“Among the nearly half of voters who prefer ‘someone else,’ 30% say another Democrat, while a majority, 53%, say they would like to see a Republican as the next governor.”
The poll surveyed more than 800 registered New York voters.
It did not take into account Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who over recent weeks has started to ramp up his bid to be the Republican nominee for governor.
